9 Gifts the Geek in Your Life Will Love

Connoisseurs of technology have a different standard of gifting than any old regular Joe. You cannot imagine them to be happy with just another iPad mini or whatever latest Kindle version you could find online. Gadget hounds cherish technology like art. Some of the amazing gadgetry coming out today is nothing less than art. But it can be difficult to wade and trudge through the never-ending stream of gear and find something that truly stands out. Be it a brother, father, boyfriend, wife, sister or mother, there is a ton of interesting gadgetry out there.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic: For any photo enthusiast already at pro-level with DSLR and its assorted lenses, the next best thing is usually an instant film camera. It is alright if you think that these analog models had completely disappeared from the market with the rise of digital cameras and smartphones. But Fujifilm has been making a line of similar Polaroid-like instant cameras with a styling that is both retro and sleek. With a film size roughly an area of 3.25 x 2 inches, it is not as big as the typical polaroid print but makes for perfect memento-sized pictures that can fit in a jacket or a purse.

Its manual control over brightness, a bulb mode and double exposure setting offer enough wriggle-room for enthusiasts to get really creative with this camera. This is a great camera for travelers, the fact that it looks like a toy camera also helps put people at ease. You can get up to 10 exposures before you have to load another cassette into the camera.

Mohu Curve Indoor HDTV Antenna: It is true, you can vastly improve the video quality of broadcast on TV channels and bypass your cable box while at it. All major broadcast networks have been streaming free uncompressed HD signals since 2009, all you need to receive them is antenna. With the technology today having come a long way from the rabbit ears of yore, antennas too have gotten much better in performance, and style.

Many indoor antennas are about the size, and bear the appearance, of a plastic placemat for the dining table. For the best reception you need to hang them in a window or on your wall near the ceiling. They work well, but usually do nothing good for your d"cor. The Mohu Curve Indoor HDTV Antenna on the other hand looks almost like a simple sculpture.

Set on the table it looks as if it was always meant to be there. The Curve 30 has a 30-mile reception range and the Curve 50, a 50-mile reception. It connects to your TV with the same type of coaxial cable that your cable box uses. It comes with a ten-foot cable, but you may have to experiment with the placement for the best reception.

Chromecast: Weighing in at about 34 grams this 72 x 35 x 12 is one of the smallest and handiest dongles in the market. Once plugged in the back of a television set, there is almost no indication that it is a part of your home theatre setup.

Unlike other streaming devices, Google"s Chromecast doesn"t come with a remote control, or for that matter, any onboard applications or content.
Setting up the device or watching a video from your personal media collection or even browsing YouTube is done through the use of apps on your Android phone or tablet, iOS device or via Google"s Chrome browser on a Chrome OS, Windows or Mac PC.

The setup is an absolute ease with the Chromecast. Just power the device and plug it into an available television HDMI port and follow the prompts. It will walk you through the process of connecting it to a Wi-Fi network, pairing with your choice of source device and downloading any available firmware updates. At its low cost and user-friendliness it is the perfect gift for a travelling geek.
Pebble One of Kickstarter"s most successful crowdfunding projects, Pebble was one of the first to break into the smartwatch market. But contrary to popular perception it is not a smartphone for your wrist. It reads out basic text, lets you skip through your music and of course displays the time. You will need a smartphone and an accompanying app to get started.

It feels comfortable on the wrist, is relatively lightweight and the smooth edges keep their distance from the skin. It is solid enough for regular use and with its waterproofing down to 50 meters it can stay with you in the pool or under the shower.

The secret to its weeklong battery life and daylight readability is a technology similar to an e-paper display. The 114x168 black-and-white screen has nearly 20,000 pixels. It lets you view emails and time readout in various fonts, along with watch faces and other indicators.

Pebble's two apps, one for Android 2.3 and the other for Apple devices running on iOS 5 or later, enable everything from initial setup to push notifications. There have been various other smartwatches that have been launched since and it would be a good idea to check them out as well.

ogitech Powershell: One of the best designed gaming controllers for the iPhone so far, the Logitech Powershell is solid with a rubbery finish making it comfortable to hold. It is sturdy and compact enough to be stored loosely in a bag or pocket.

The Powershell slots directly into the iPhone without having to pull the controller apart to fit it. The phone retains all of its independent functions and the headphone jack and lock buttons remain attainable so that users can listen to music and lock their phones at all times.

Unlike other controllers it has an analog D-pad instead of analog sticks. It registers both the direction you are pressing it and the force with which you are pressing it.

Peachy Printer: 3D printing has become one of the biggest leaps technology has taken in the new millennium. But for most, the idea of owning a 3D printer is as good as a mirage. However, thanks to crowdfunding and a bunch of enthusiastic people, we can now buy affordable versions of 3D printers.

Boasting of a price under $100, Peachy Printer is set to revolutionize the world of home printing. It provides a minimum wall thickness of 0.2 mm and its speed is dependent on the complexity of the project.

It has no certain build limit, but the amount of time taken to print will depend on the complexity of the project. It is entirely feasible that one day Peachy Printer may even print you a house, but doing that may take years. The printer uses resin and the company is in the process of figuring out a high-performance low-cost resin especially for the Peachy Printer.

Panono Panoramic Ball Camera: This is a shutterbug's delight. Fitted with 36 cameras, all you need to do to get those difficult panoramic shots is throw the ball in the air, not too high though.

One quick toss will capture everything in every direction into a high resolution 360 degree x 360 degree full-spherical panoramic image. Not to be afraid if you do not catch the Panono when it comes down; it"s tough external casing protects the cameras inside. It is lightly resistant to rain, and if the camera rotates too much when you throw it up it will not register an image.

Mophie Space Pack: Consider this a three-in-one device, providing a case, a charger and a storage provider. Despite adding a little bulk to your iPhone 5/5s, it is a great asset that helps compliment the iPhone 5's insufficient amount of built in storage. It is perfect for on the go users who are constantly on the move without access to power sources or backup memory.

Nest Learning Thermostat: In 2012 the Internet expanded to include more IP addresses. Machine-to-machine technology, or the Internet of things, is set to connect billions of electronics around the world. This thermostat gives you control of how low you want to keep the heat and helps lower your bills. It lets you control the heat from anywhere in your home from your smartphone. It also has humidity sensors, temperature sensors and a Wi-Fi radio! It definitely puts the old thermostats to shame.

There are a lot of gift options to present to your tech-loving friend. So do not be daunted by the amount of new gadgetry that comes your way and find what the gadget-freak in your life would love.